This invention relates to improvements in dredges.
Dredges are well known and widely used for construction and maintenance work in harbours, canals, shipping facilities, mining sites and land reclamation. A well-known type of dredge has a hinged frame or ladder extending forwardly from its hull and carrying a bucket wheel which may be lowered to working depth by the ladder and driven to excavate soil which, with water, is pumped through a conduit and discharged on land.
The general object of this invention is to provide such a dredge which may be efficiently worked by a very small crew, a single operator being able to control the advance of the dredge, as well as the operation of the bucket wheel and the slewing of the dredge.